CFAB-AM, Today's Best Country, Windsor

CFAB signed on the air on November 13, operating on a frequency of 1450 kHz with a power of 50 watts. The station was owned by Evangeline Broadcasting Co. Ltd. Studios were in the Pulsifer Building and the transmitter was at Falmouth. Canadian Broadcaster reported in 1945 that CFAB began regular broadcasting on November 11 and power was 1,000 watts from the start. Other sources say the original power was 50 watts and that increased later in the year to 100 watts. Avard M. Bishop was owner-manager and his son, Willard, was program director.

1946

CFAB – “Nova Scotia's newest radio station” – increased power to 250 watts. A new Northern Electric transmitter was used.

1947

CFAB became a member of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. CFAB applied for a rebroadcast transmitter at Kentville. The application was deferred by the CBC in December.

1948

CFAB again applied for a rebroadcast transmitter (1490 kHz with 250 watts) at Kentville. The application was deferred earlier because of an application for a new station at Kentville by F.J. Burns, who published the weekly newspaper there. The application was deferred yet again, but in March the CBC board recommended approval of the request. A.M. Bishop was manager and W.A. Bishop was commercial manager.

1949

J.A.C. Lewis was manager.

1951

The CBC approved the transfer of 23 common shares in Evangeline Broadcasting Co. Ltd. (CKEN and CFAB). A further transfer of two common shares was approved later in the year.

1952

Approval was given for the transfer of two common shares in the company.

1953

The CBC Board of Governors approved the transfer of 2 common shares in Evangeline Broadcasting Co. Ltd. Later in the year, the transfer of an additional 80 common shares was approved.

Ann Ramey was on air at CFAB-CKEN. J.A.C. Lewis left CFAB/CKEN for CKLB Oshawa. CFAB completed construction of new studios and offices. The entire upstairs of the Pulsifer Building had been cleared out before the work could start. The new main control room was equipped to handle three microphones, two turntables, and any two option circuits (remote lines or tape recorders). Willard Bishop was program director and his chief aide was Jack Pineo.

1965

Frank J. Burns was President of Evangeline Broadcasting Co. Ltd. Willard A. Bishop was General Manager of CFAB.

1977

Approval was granted for the transfer of 66% of Evangeline Broadcasting Co. from the estate of A. M. Bishop to W. A. Bishop.

1979

On May 22, the sale of Evangeline Broadcasting Co. Ltd. (CKEN, CKWM-FM, CKAD, CKDY, CFAB) by W. A. Bishop, Scotian Gold Co-op Ltd., F. Hugh Burns, May & Paul Davidson, Bella Burns, George C. Baker, David J. Waterbury, E. J. MacMillan, D. MacDonald, K.L. Crowell, H.L. Dean and Frances B. Lindsay to Neil H. MacMullen, on behalf of a company to be incorporated (would be known as Annapolis Valley Radio Ltd.) was approved. Annapolis took ownership on June 26. It should be noted that CFAB Windsor, CKDY Digby and CKAD Middleton rebroadcast much of the programming of CKEN. CFAB began broadcasting in 1945. CKAD launched in 1962. CKDY signed on in 1970.

1983

A new Nautel 1,000 watt transmitter was purchased for CFAB. Before moving it to Windsor, it was tested out at CKEN in Kentville.

1984

The AVR network expanded when CKDY-FM-1 signed on the air at Weymouth.

1986

On April 15, the CRTC approved the application to amend the licence for CFAB by increasing the transmitter power from 250 watts to 1,000 watts, and by relocating the transmitter about 3 kilometers to the east.

1998

The CRTC approved the sale of Kentville-based Annapolis Valley Radio Ltd to Halifax-based Maritime Broadcasting System Limited. AVR operated CFAB Windsor, CKEN and CKWM-FM Kentville, CKAD Middleton, CKDY Digby and CKDY-FM-1 Weymouth. Maritime Broadcasting President Merv Russell said the deal for AVR would close April 30. Diane Best-Redden would be general manager at AVR. Maritime Broadcasting closed its deal for the purchase of Neil MacMullen's Annapolis Valley Radio on April 30, then did the same thing all over again on May 1 for the purchase of Fundy Broadcasting's CJCB/CKPE-FM Sydney and CFBC/C98-FM Saint John.

1999

The corporate name changed from Annapolis Valley Radio Ltd. to Maritime Broadcaasting System Ltd.

2006

On November 27, Maritime Broadcasting received approval to convert CFAB to the FM band. The station had proposed to operate on 92.9 MHz with average effective radiated power of 47,100 watts. The planned expansion of Highway 101 necessitated the dismantling of CFAB’s AM transmiter site. Maritime considered continuing the operation of CFAB on the AM band but concluded the conversion to FM would ensure the station’s future viability. Because Maritime owned two stations in nearby Kentville, the CRTC had overlap concerns and requested CFAB seek alternate technical parameters.

2007

On December 12, the CRTC denied Maritime Broadcasting’s application to operate its new English-language FM station in Windsor at 92.9 MHz with an average effective radiated power of 23,800 watts.

2011

On August 31, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CFAB until March 31, 2012. Dianne Best, for many years associated with Annapolis Valley Radio owned by Neil MacMullen and later by Maritime Broadcasting System, was no longer with the operation. Best had been General Manager and then Account Executive.

2012

On March 20, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CFAB to August 31, 2012. On August 28, the licence was administratively renewed to December 31, 2012. On December 19, the licence was renewed to August 31, 2019.

The story continues elsewhere...Effective September 1st 2019, we will only be adding new material to these station histories in exceptional circumstances. Our intent to chronicle the early days of these radio and television stations has been achieved, and many new sources and technologies, from the CRTC website to Wikipedia, and others, are now regularly providing new information in these areas.